Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff targeted a player and made a trade to land him in the NFL draft Thursday night.

It wasn’t the mega-deal, but the Falcons moved up eight spots from 30th to 22nd in a deal with the St. Louis Rams to select Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant.

“It’s who we had focused on all throughout the offseason,” Dimitroff said. “We were very fortunate because it was a very eventful middle of the first round. It was very, very active with a lot of trade discussions.”

The Falcons knew they had to get in front of Minnesota to select Trufant. The Vikings had the 23rd and 25th picks. They ended up selecting Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes.

Falcons coach Mike Smith said that Trufant, who was a team captain for the Huskies, will compete for a starting position.

“I’m very excited about the pick,” Smith said.

They gave up a third- and a sixth-round pick and will get a seventh-rounder next season from the Rams.

The Falcons had a need a cornerback. Three of the top five cornerbacks from last season are no longer with the team. Brent Grimes (Miami) and Christopher Owens (Cleveland) left during free agency. Dunta Robinson was released and has signed with Kansas City.

He will become the third Trufant to make it to the NFL. His brothers Marcus (Seattle) and Isaiah (Jets) are already in the NFL.

“They told me that it’s time to grind and try to make a name for myself.,” Trufant said.

The youngest Trufant is a big corner.

“I don’t know the last time when there’s been three brothers in the NFL,” Trufant said during his interview at the combine. “It’s definitely a milestone. It’s big for our family, and our city. And so I’m just going to (keep) it going.”